Puccini adds to double delight for McKays at Ruakaka
Matamata trainers Peter and Jacob McKay were happy after racing at Ruakaka on Saturday.
They won races with Canterino and Antonio Lombardo, both ridden by Samantha Collett, and were more than pleased with the effort of last year’s New Zealand Derby winner, Puccini.
Six-year-old Antonio Lombardo was too good in the Carter Bloodstock Open 1200 for the Melbourne-bound Albany Reunion, who performed well on a track much wetter than he would have preferred.
Trainer Nigel Tiley has circled the Gr III Moonga Stakes at Caulfield on October 18 for Albany Reunion’s Australian debut with a possible tilt at the Gr I Emirates Stakes on the final day of the Flemington carnival to follow.
Antonio Lombardo’s stablemate Puccini also resumed in the Ruakaka sprint and the Cox Plate hopeful was doing his best work late for fourth while the triple Gr I winner Sangster showed zip early on before fading away in the straight to tail the small field home.
He is expected to run next in the Gr I Windsor Park Plate at Hastings before returning there for the Gr I Livamol Spring Classic. Victory in the weightfor-age classic may earn him a crack at the Caulfield Cup.
A four-time winner on the course, Antonio Lombardo may return to Ruakaka in a fortnight’s time for his next start.
However, he bounced through his
“If the track is looking good enough we will take him there,” Peter said.
“He was the one I thought could win the race on Saturday as he’d had two trials and I was rapt with Puccini.”
“Vinnie Colgan said Puccini was floundering a bit in the ground so it was a good run. He’ll go to Hastings for the mile, as long as the track is good.”
The only drawback could be his position in the order of entry for the 1600m Windsor Plate.
“He’s currently 24th on the list,” Peter said. “If he can’t get in there he will head straight to Melbourne and stay there for his campaign. We will assess things a week out from Hastings and make a decision but I’m really happy with the way he has come up.”
Adding to the McKay’s pleasure on Saturday was the fact they own Canterino, winner of the R85 2100 outright, and share in the ownership of Antonio Lombardo with Christchurch businessman Trevor Luke, and that his win brought up Peter’s 200th training success.
“We were hoping our son Shaun would be the one to bring up the milestone for us but he was riding down at Hastings where he had some good rides, which was good for him but a shame in a way because I thought we could do it at Ruakaka.”
Canterino will head to Hastings, possibly on the two remaining days of the carnival, on a path aimed at the New Zealand Cup in November.